|
Researcher(s):
Liza Tugangui
ENVS course(s): 220 Initiated: October 2015 Completed: Go to project site
|
This project will be examining the influence that the film industry in America has on the concept of the wild, or wilderness. Cinema is a hugeIy influential form of cultural expression that both mirrors a society's ideologies as well as shapes them. This can be said about environmental ideologies and issues, which have been chronicled in film from the very beginning. It has been said that Hollywood has preserved the idea of wilderness even in the midst of a time where many believe there is no more wild (Richardson 2010). Film scholar Derek Blouse claims "How film and television depict the natural world often has far less to do with science or real outdoor experience than with media economics, established production practices, viewers' expectations, and the ways each of these influences the others" These are the general conversations surrounding wilderness in the media. My framing questions are: What does this mean for the significance of film and its impact on society? what does it mean for audiences when cinema depicts a very different reality than that of scientific discovery and information? In what ways have animation film changed the discussion and rhetoric surrounding “social and ecological relations”? My focus questionwhat are the different trends of how wilderness is represented in certain genres and eras of time in America? And how do those different representations shape American politics, discourse, and values concerning the wild? And how do those different representations shape American politics, discourse, and values concerning the wild. Because film has such a large impact on American society, I will argue that it is a pertinent factor in the discussion surrounding issues about wildness, that is significant to a lot of America, because even if not every moviegoer is necessarily an environmental activist, these subtextual ideas permeate society and help form general predispositions and beliefs surrounding wildness. Because cinema is not limited to America alone, these same general concepts can loosely applied to any developed country whose citizens enjoy cinema, like for example, India with Bollywood. So not only will I be examining the discourse around an environmental theme, but I will also be incorporating social psychology and the history of cinema in America. In this project, I will be do qualitative research, conducting surveys and interviews, creating maps, and watching movies. I hope to discover some interesting results.